Tadhg Hickey on criticising Israel and ‘becoming dangerous’

0:00From GEICO Subconscious News, I'm Tammy Racing Thoughts. Tonight, you just left for work and had a non-specific feeling that something was happening to your place and it wasn't good. Dan? Exactly, Tammy. It could be smoke damage, theft, or just too much caffeine, but you can't stop thinking about it. But with renter's insurance through GEICO, your stuff is covered, so you don't have to worry. And that's great, because the weekend is coming up and it's chock full of social obligations that are ready to fill that void. Oh boy, will they, Dan? It feels good to worry less. It feels good to GEICO. Coming up on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock podcast.

0:33If I would give myself one little pat on the back, I'm very consistent. Like my politics are roughly the same as when I was in college. My comedy outlook is pretty much the same. I've always supported Celtic. I've always done Cork Kerry banter, Cork Dublin banter. Like I'm a very predictable guy. So what has happened, though, is for reasons best known to other people, my reach has increased an awful lot. So I've become dangerous.

1:10Well, it hasn't been too long since I last chatted with comedian and writer Ty Kiki here on the podcast. It was just over 12 months ago, but what a difference a year makes because Ty has been a very vocal critic of Israel's war on Gaza and a staunch supporter of Palestine. He also gets his message out there through comedy and is very popular on social media. I'm a big fan of his stuff. You should check him out, Ty Kiki, especially on X and on Instagram. And we chatted all about that when he was last on the show. But since then, Ty's profile has kind of shot right up. And he's been attracting a lot of attention from journalists and media platforms around the world, including the Times of Israel and Al Jazeera, who have referred to him as an Irish comedian.

1:53This was at the Times of Israel, who has become a walking tweeting case study in how virulent anti-Zionism serves as a thin cloak for old fashioned anti-Semitism. He's also had his social media account taken down by Meta. So I asked Ty to make the trip to the Go Loud studios from his home in the real capital, of course, Cork, and join me back here on the podcast to chat about the crazy year that he's had. from his continued activism and the negative attention it has been attracting, his trip to Iran and thoughts on how the Irish and the Iranian people share a lot in common, the new satirical TV show that he's making and lots, lots more.

2:28And I'd be a little bit of a kind of a through line kind of guy. If you're going to stand up for Palestine and if you're going to stand up for people in Lebanon, then you have to go all the way. There's no point in just going, I stand with them until it becomes painful for me and then I don't stand with them at all because that is not solidarity. Piers Morgan views journalism as who's the most popular journalist right now who's got the biggest show you can think he's a bit of a dick for that but also recognise that actually he's playing a really really important role because if you kind of think that the Zionists have lost Piers Morgan that's absolutely massive I mean Ireland is in a difficult position right now I get that like if they're too tough on Israel then the US multinationals and big pharma are going to pull out of Ireland and the Irish economy will tank But what price your soul?

3:15None of us know, I mean we can all speculate None of us know just how much shit the Israel lobby has on Trump Whether you agree with his politics or not Taig is always a brilliant listen And he's in stark contrast I might say To an interview I conducted with Ian O'Doherty a few weeks ago And if you scroll back you can have a look at that as well So stay tuned for myself and Taig's full chat Coming up in just a few minutes time But first, it's nearly here, folks. Oasis are nearly here. The biggest show of the year, surely. Oasis about to come to Croke Park. Tickets, of course, were gold dust, dynamic pricing and all of that stuff.

3:59And listen, we've tapped into Liam Gallagher's voicemails ahead of his trip to Ireland. You all right? This is Liam. You want some? Well then leave a message on the voicemail Fair play, Liam Ronan Keaton here We met at the Mobos there in 1993, I think it was Anyway, listen, I was wondering if you're looking for support act for the Aviva Stadium there I don't think Richard Bancroft is going to kick the mustard Anyway, listen lads You know I love your music, Wonderball, fantastic Cigarettes and alcohol I was thinking you should update that to vapes and alcohol Liam, you know, just more modern, touch on the whole thing Okay, just a thought, give us a call Liam, it's Louis Walsh Listen, I've noticed you don't have any management at the moment Listen, I'm used to dealing with brothers I have huge experience Look, I used to manage the Carter twins, do you remember them?

4:54I think you guys, Liam and Noel, could do really well Look, all you need is a haircut and a few decent dance moves The Pacific Rim is calling, guys Give us a call Liam, how are you doing? It's Daniel O'Donnell here. You'll be very welcome back to Ireland and I'm looking forward to seeing your perform in Croke Park. Just a word of wonder, love. Your audience now is a wee bit older than they were when you were here the last time, so you might sort of see a load of things being thrown up at you like, I don't know, girdles and tea cosies and stuff on stage. so I'm used to it now but just be kind to them they're getting on a bit you know yourself How are you buddy?

5:39Keith Duffy here I think we met at the Mobos in 1997 I think it was Listen How are you buddy? Would you mind dropping into Tireland while you're here? I'll have the lads fit your tour bus with brand new tyres or better still buddy we'll come to you give us a bell And I really hope Oasis drop in with their tour bus to Tireland and I'd love to see Keith Duffy replacing all their tyres. My big thanks, of course, to our sponsor, deluxebathrooms.ie, Ireland's premium bathroom and tile retailer. Get up to 70 % off Europe's biggest bathroom brands. Transform your bathroom for less. Upgrading your bathroom doesn't have to be expensive, folks.

6:19Why not capitalise on these amazing offers? They are located in Dundalk Retail Park and Eastgate Retail Park, Little Island in Cork. Make your dream bathroom a reality with Deluxe Bathrooms. They have amazing, amazing offers. And they're in deluxebathrooms.ie as well. So if you want to contact me, of course, as always, it's mariorosenstock at gmail.com. And thanks for all your messages that you send. I read them all and get back to them all as well. So as I mentioned at the start, as Ty Kiki's influence and reach has grown, so have the levels of criticism he's been attracting. And the Times of Israel had some particularly choice words to describe him and what he does.

6:56So Ty, thanks a million for coming on the show again. Here's what the Times of Israel... Sorry, I didn't... Off the flyer here. Here's what the Times of Israel... Here's what the Times of Israel... Now, hold on. It can't get any worse from here, Tyg. It can't get any worse from here. At least it's not... Yeah, at least it's Israel, not Ireland. Here's what the Times of Israel, their writer is called Fidno Tool, thought about... No, no, he's not. He's not. The Times of Israel thought of you, Tyg. Meet Tyg Hickey, an Irish comedian who has become a walking, tweeting case study on how virulent anti-Zionism serves as a thin cloak for old-fashioned anti-Semitism.

7:33His social media is an open sewer of hate speech, but what makes his case truly alarming is what it reveals about Ireland, a nation seemingly committed to ignoring and at times enabling the extremist rhetoric. So, Tyg, the last time you were on the podcast was May 2024 and the Times of Israel, they actually made a comment about you before that gig and then you said, nice lad. Oh, but they've changed their mind since then. So what's going on Why are the times of Islam For my listeners Why are the times The times of Israel Yeah Why are the times of Israel Talking about you in those terms Well I would say That the times of Israel And other very strongly Zionist outlets They tend to target people Who are being effective So they I've been saying the same rubbish My whole life If I'm If I were to give myself One little pat on the back I'm very consistent like my politics are roughly the same as when I was in college my comedy outlook is pretty much the same I've always supported Celtic I've always done Cork Kerry banter Cork Dublin banter like I'm a very predictable guy so what has happened though is for reasons best known to other people my reach has increased an awful lot so I've become dangerous so then you're getting all these attacks not just from Israeli outlets from everywhere and anywhere, even some outlets within Ireland.

8:59And we may talk about that at some point, Margo. Yes, we will. So that's it. I sleep very well at night. I'm very confident that I haven't a racist bone in my body. I'm not an anti-Semite in the same way that Michael D. Higgins, to call Michael D. Higgins a racist or an anti-Semite to most Irish people is laughable. Whatever you think of the guy, it's very hard to imagine him, you know, like hanging out with members of the KKK, for instance. so I don't worry about it I think it's a sign that I'm doing a good job It's very hard to imagine Michael D. Higgins taking a pillow off his head pillow cover off his head and it reveals Michael D.

9:37underneath it I could see I lost you halfway through that there as I described Michael D. Higgins and the KKK So okay so Tyg it's fair to say that I'm trying to backtrack for my audience so it's fair to say that you've always been like a Republican Irish Republican an Irish Republican who you know has wanted to see a united Ireland for a long time I mean you're wearing a lovely Irish thank you this is from You Boys in Green they do great apparel give them a little shout out you've always as far as long as I've known you had sympathy with the Palestine the Palestinian plight yeah because I would be an internationalist Irish Republican not a narrow minded imported kind of ethno-nationalism that you get in Britain and America and stuff.

10:28So it'd be very much an anti-colonial, like showing solidarity would oppress people all over the world. That's the type of Irish republicanism that I'm interested in. James Connolly, Roger Casement, et cetera, et cetera. And in fairness, it would be fair for you to state that you would have been consistent in those views as long as at least I've known you. Yeah. So what has changed though? I mean, you've been very, very, very active since 2024. And before 2024, you were what I might describe as very active. But you've kind of, you've kind of gone to, well, forgiving the pun, weapons grade activity at this stage.

11:04You've like, you've got into travelling, visiting, campaigning, speaking, podcasting, appearing on major podcasts, Al Jazeera. You've been in Iran, which I want to talk to you about. Tell me how that journey has been for you for the last year. How has that journey affected what you believe? Has it concreted it, cemented it? Has it changed it in any way? And how has it affected the fact that you're also a family man now who's just had a newborn kid and you've been away quite a bit? Yeah, whoa. Big question. We're trying. Yeah, we have time, I suppose. I mean, like the main thing that's changed for me over the last year and a half is that overall certain things that I felt did exist like international law, rules-based order, you know, basic humanity, basic fair play from the institutions.

11:59Those illusions have been smashed for me. I still believe in people. I believe in individual people. So like traveling to places, showing solidarity that is painful. I mean, like solidarity as defined by say someone like Noam Chomsky by its very definition is you vote for somebody, you stand up for somebody even when there's nothing in it for you. So it's not solidarity to say, oh, you know, I hope they keep this swimming pool open because I use it every Friday. It's about that place should be open for those kids because they need it and it has nothing to do with me and I'm happy to pay my taxes so that they get it.

12:36So for me, solidarity has to be a bit painful and I'd be a little bit of a kind of a through line kind of guy. If you're going to stand up for Palestine and if you're going to stand up for people in Lebanon, then you have to go all the way. There's no point in just going, I stand with them until it becomes painful for me. And then I don't stand with them at all because that is not solidarity. Activism has to be a bit painful. Otherwise, it's just gesture politics, I think. So I'm willing to take the hits if it means that I actually have an authenticity to my solidarity. So when friends of mine say, you know, we would love you to come to Lebanon on the occasion of Saeed Hassan Nasrallah's funeral.

13:17and they say you're going to get some backlash for this in the West because the perception is that like, you know, he's a terrorist, it's a terrorist group and you're going to a little terrorist gathering in a cave in Lebanon. That will be the basic message. But I know those people. I love those people. I will stand up for oppressed people suffering under the boot of colonialism and occupation wherever they may exist. And I don't agree with the dehumanizing them just because it's easier to then bomb them and destroy them if you label them terrorists. so am I willing to go there and take a hit like maybe an article in the Irish Times or something like that definitely because my conscience is clear my motivations are clear and I'm not going doing propaganda for anyone where I can possibly afford it and do it I pay for my own flights as well so it's not I'm not on a jolly like you know and the funniest accusation I get is when people say oh you're just in the pro-Palestine or pro-Lebanon thing now like for your career as if supporting Palestine isn't a notoriously death knell thing to do for your career.

14:23I mean, there is no get rich book that I know of that said, you know, whatever you do, stand up for Shia, militarism around the world because that will do you well. Yeah, no. OK, I'll come back to that in a second then. Because just again, just to clarify things, for my listeners again, some of whom may know you, especially people who follow my podcast and previously used to appear on the Sunday roast quite a bit. From your perspective then, right now, what is going on in that part of the world? So for about two years, we have had a genocide. It began as a genocide. For me now, it's an extermination going on in Palestine.

15:00And a quick look at the other areas, the other countries in the region, like Israel, backed by the US, Britain and Germany primarily, but backed by Western culture and values and diplomatic cover and weaponry, has also invaded all its other neighbours or bombed all its other neighbours and yet is still kind of positioning itself as a victim in all this and it would see itself as being infringed on and attacked from all angles from various Iran-sponsored terror groups. That's the narrative they would have. So over the last two years, Palestinians have been calling it a genocide from about October the 8th.

15:39You know, they saw what was coming and anybody who would be engaged in the region would know that after October 7th, Israel had its perfect excuse and reasoning to go all out in the extermination and the ethnic cleansing. You're finding now two years on that like the likes of ITV and Piers Morgan and people I never imagined in a million years would be coming out and calling it a genocide or at least like kind of flirting with the idea of it being an extermination. I don't know why that has changed, but I'm guessing the images of children starving to death has done something to kind of light a bulb in the Western consciousness that looks a bit like the famines in Africa that we would have seen that we would all just go, look, whoever's responsible for this, it's wrong and we've got to intervene.

16:30Bob Geldof has come out and said his little piece. How do you feel about or do you have a view about? So, for example, you're very, very engaged online. And from my engagement online or just looking around at these things, it would strike you that, for example, people would have said for a long time in the last year, where's Geldof? Where's Bono? No sign. Radio silence. Where's Geldof? Where's Bono? And then they would almost associate Bono with a kind of a pro-Israeli lobby or at least a pro-American business lobby, APAC, all that sort of stuff. In other words, the idea being inferred that you two, Bono, would be very careful to rub the Israeli lobby up the wrong way.

17:17Sure aren't you two a huge corporate entity in their own right. Geldof, where's Geldof? Well, subsequently, it seems that Geldof has kind of, you know, made a few statements on it. We've seen them, you know. What's your view of somebody like Geldof? Would your view be better that you're now on than never or fuck you, you bandwagoning bollocks? I mean, privately, there's a lot of fuck you, you bandwagoning bollocks going on, like in the community, I would say. Yeah. personally I would be conscious of me and I'm open to people saying oh well here you've said this about him or you've said that about him I mean sometimes I can tweet in anger I suppose I use Twitter a little bit as a kind of a reflex for my emotions and it kind of works for me like it gets out some of my kind of frustrations and stuff but overall I think if I was to say so and so hasn't spoken about it all this time you know what a bollocks or whatever that would be making the whole genocide about me then a little bit and be trying to position myself as like the I told you so guy in a genocide, which is not the issue.

18:25I would take my lead from Palestinians and all those kind of instances. And I've seen as many Palestinians say they're very welcome to hear Geldof's voice because it has got some power. Geldof will reach a kind of an older, more middle class audience in Britain and Ireland than like I will or your average Palestinian will. So it's a good thing that more people are speaking out because then the genocide might come to an end a bit sooner and lives will be saved. So I will let the people being exterminated lead the charge in how they want to appraise one way or the other voices who have been quiet and are now coming out.

19:01Also, and this is probably a little bit of a controversial thing to say within the movement, I kind of understand as well that people have families and they have work and they've been brought up in this capitalist, neoliberal, world here in this part of the world where you can't throw everything out and expect that, you know, you've got risks. There's risks. Like I didn't really come with much risks to the table. People have companies, they've employed other people. If they come out and say something really strong early on, it destroys the whole company. And we've seen that there are big consequences if you do speak out.

19:39So I do understand it. I know myself maybe what I would have done personally, but I try not to judge people too harsh when they've got families and they've got businesses. I didn't have any of that stuff. You know what I mean? So the more people speaking out, the better though, to be honest with you. But I do think, and hopefully we'll get to this. I mean, you're the only media figure in Ireland, for instance, who's ever asked me to speak about Palestine at all. Am I? The last two years. Like genuinely the only person. I didn't know that. I thought that you were, I thought that, I thought that, here's what I thought.

20:13But I thought that at the beginning, what I mean by the beginning, I mean that period after October 7th when you and people like you were immediately engaged. But there was a testing of the waters by what might have been called the mainstream media going, which way is the wind blowing here? Oh, well, we need to be unbiased and impartial and all that, what I regard as bollocks. You know, the BBC kind of thing of, oh, no, well, we can't officially call it a genocide because, you know, if you look at the Webster's Dictionary is one thing, but the Oxford Dictionary is another thing. And one person's genocide is another person's ethnic cleansing.

20:54And indeed, ethnic cleansing even comes into question. Is it ethnic cleansing? You know, so all this sort of stuff. But so you were on you were on categorical about all this stuff. And I thought that there was a beginning bit where you were on categorical, that people were unwilling to maybe talk to you. But I thought that since the, particularly the Irish government's stance, posture on the whole thing with the, you know, the recognising the Palestinian state and the kind of leading the way with Norway and Spain and kind of making that gesture. and in fact the perceived and rightly perceived softness of Ireland's attitude towards Palestine for the rightly or wrongly sympathy with Palestine with our own colonial past and everything would have meant that you would have been more welcome onto media but you're saying no you haven't been asked even though you're like probably one of the most prominent in fact the most possibly prominent well again no I'm just conscious of like not making this about me but I will tell your listeners and they can make up their minds to themselves, right?

22:00So I have taken part in about five or six international documentaries on Palestine from the perspective of them wondering what is it about this Irish solidarity. So like two Turkish companies, there was a Palestinian American company, an Iranian company, all did documentaries about Irish solidarity with Palestine. And like myself, Liam Cunningham, Richard Boyd Barrett, you know, these types of people. And I would often be included in those. So for rightly or wrongly, people associate me now with the Palestine Solidarity Movement in Ireland, right? So there's been those documentaries, as you said earlier, I've been asked to speak about different aspects of Irish solidarity and complicity in the genocide on like Al Jazeera.

22:42Like I've been asked to speak about Palestine on GB News like several times and I haven't yet accepted the offer because I'm not quite sure whether it would be useful or not to speak to an organisation that would be that right wing. But like all around the world, Iraq, Iran, Australia, America, Britain, never once have I been asked to speak on any mainstream national media outlet in Ireland about Palestine. And the one time I was in RT speaking about some gigs, some event that I had going on, I was specifically asked not to mention Palestine, right? And so I just think that's very revealing about how Ireland's solidarity, it's very weak, Like it's very pissy From the institution So the people are remarkable But like I mean this is the third time That we've spoken I think Since the genocide Maybe the second May 2024 It could be the third Maybe the third Because you're looking back to You know October 7th I don't ever remember you saying You know Maybe say Like don't say that I know You know what I mean But like You're the only person That I would You know Associate with like Mainstream Ireland Yeah You know really Earlier on I remember as well I had Sheila Shoiga on That's right I love that episode And it was a really interesting episode because we talked about brands and branding Yes And this was at a time that people were trying to talking about disassociating themselves from brands associated with Israel Yeah But anyway Can I say one other thing on that?

24:14Just park me for a second So we have a Palestinian Abu Bakr Abed He's in Drogheda at the moment He was He had to leave Gaza because there was a target on his back, basically. There was enough people who were kind of outing him online as, I mean, to their mind, outing that he's associated with some resistance group or whatever. No one can find any evidence of it. This is what the Zionists do. They kind of say, oh, this guy, he's not real journalist, whatever. So anyway, because of the implications there, he was forced to basically leave. His mother said, we would prefer if you go now, actually, because there's a target on her back and we're all going to get killed because of you.

24:51He was brought to Ireland. He's been here for the last six months. Like you were saying earlier, he's been on like the Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, George Galloway. He's an extraordinarily articulate, impassioned speaker. He's 22 years of age. He's a sports journalist. He never wanted to be a journalist of genocide or geopolitics even. He's a sports guy. He's an encyclopedic knowledge of football. You should have him on your show. He's amazing. And he lives up the road. No Irish mainstream media has asked to speak with him. What's his name? Abu Bakr Abed. OK. He's in Drogheda right now. And I think park me for a second.

25:27Why? I mean, primetime have a guy up the road who in my imagination and in my view and in the views of most human rights groups around the world is a Holocaust survivor. He's a genocide survivor and he's up the road. Why not have him on? Stand away from that for a second. Apart from people not having him on, am I right then in suggesting that your view of the, like, let's say, RTEs and let's say news talks and maybe the Irish Times and Irish Independence take on all of this is pissy and weak and diluted and uncategoric. That's being kind because you said earlier and the only thing I'd add to your characterisation of it, it's a bit like, oh, let's see what way the wind blows.

26:12That's definitely there. But also the powers that be are so beholden to US interests. And the Israel lobby is speaking directly, maybe not directly to the Irish media institutions, but there's a cowardice that's corporate cowardice. So it's not just let's see what way the wind blows. It's like if we're tough on Israel, you know, unless the whole world is in unison that we need to be, we're going to lose. I mean, Ireland is in a difficult position right now. I get that. Like if they're too tough on Israel, then the US multinationals and big pharma are going to pull out of Ireland and the Irish economy will tank but what price your soul One of the things that's emerged through this horrific period is of course like often happens the parsing of words you know so this as I said to you the parsing of words like genocide and everything and I even do see like and it's actually reflected through what you said about Piers Morgan and everything It's creeping in isn't it and in fact like whatever way you'd like to put it.

27:11I remember seeing to my son the other day, he was saying to me, Dad, he's only 17, right? But he's clever. He said, Dad, is this Piers Morgan like? He's turning into one of the most, if you like, important journalists in the world. Like him, loathe him, whatever. It is what it is. It is what it is. I mean, I am aware of Piers Morgan's past. But there's no question that, you know, he is really, really putting the argument out there, you know, and getting the argument out there. And, you know, from his point of view, I don't know if he's accepted it, but, you know, more and more people who aren't, you know, who feel they have to wait to see which way the wind blows are pretty much agreeing with the whole genocide thing and the cleansing.

27:57Not that it really means that much because people know in their own hearts what it is, you know. Do you agree about that with Piers Morgan? An interesting figure in that regard. I mean, he is a necessary evil. Like, you know, like, put it this way, you can both think that he is a mercenary, he's a narcissist. I mean, himself and George Galloway had a chat recently, basically Galloway reduced it to who's got a bigger dick like you or me. I mean, that's where they're at, really. So I think Piers Morgan views journalism as, you know, who's the most popular journalist, right? And who's got the biggest show?

28:35You can think he's a bit of a dick for that, but also recognise that actually he's playing a really, really important role because if you kind of think that the Zionists have lost Piers Morgan, that's absolutely massive because he is such an important voice. You know what I mean? So I'm encouraged by the fact that he's calling stuff as he sees it, but I still think that his motivations are not good. But I mean, who cares? Yeah. Here's a couple of observations from the outside, just from a person in the media, but also a lay person just kind of trying to get to grips with it from the outside. I mean, it's clear to me, you just converse with me on this or get involved.

29:16It's clear to me that like the real problems, the real problem stopping this is America, but it's also Trump because Trump more has more or less turned into America. He is the personification of America. So, for example, I was saying the other day to somebody, if Trump wanted to stop this tomorrow he could with one phone call. If you presume that your man Netanyahu who I despise who they call him Bibi I hate this. No but the one thing I hate about this is the kind of you'll have BBC journalists talking about Bibi. Yeah. As if he's some sort of guy you know. He's got his yeah but also clubbing him making part of a club.

29:55You know we could talk to Bibi. Bibi's there. I mean I know Bibi. He's on my phone. I talked to Bibi yesterday. You know like as if Bibi is Because Bibi is persuadable. Yes. Whereas these guys, the Palestinians, we don't even know their names because they're dark, demonic creatures. But Bibi, we could talk to Bibi. That's very true. That's why I call him Bibi, not Benjamin. I call him Bibi because I like him. I talk to him. Yes. And that really, really annoys me. But Trump could stop this tomorrow by saying, look, dude, it's over. That's it. End of. I mean, but because we're all behoven unto Trump and we're all waiting to see which way he'll blow.